Union Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave passed away suddenly on Thursday morning.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences on Twitter, saying he was with Dave “till late last evening”.
Sixty-year-old Dave complained of uneasiness at his home on Thursday morning and was rushed to AIIMS where he passed away of a cardiac arrest, according to official sources. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha since 2009.
He was a key figure as the Modi cabinet considered whether to approve the country's first genetically modified food crop. He had been due to take a final call on an application for an indigenously developed GM crop of mustard. A ministry panel recently recommended allowing commercial cultivation of the oilseed.
The two-term lawmaker from the Bharatiya Janata Party was named last year as minister for the environment, forest and climate change.
Only a day earlier, Dave had met a six-member delegation representing those protesting against the approval given for commercial use of genetically-modified mustard by the crop regulator.
He assured the protesters that their grievances would be addressed on the "right platform".
Colleagues Express Condolences
Colleagues from the BJP took to Twitter to express their condolences. Most described him as soft spoken and kind.
(With inputs from PTI.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)